FELINE DEFENDERS of the National Cat Protection Society SUMMER 2009 6904 W. Coast Highway Newport Beach, CA 92663 (949) 650-1232 natcatnewport@gmail.com 9031 Birch Street Spring Valley, CA 91977 (619) 469-8771 natcatsv@gmail.com The National Cat Protection Society is a shelter whose primary mission is dedicated to the protection and welfare of cats.
EDUCATION Providing humane education on how to keep cats safe... If the unthinkable happens and your cat goes missing one day, increase his or her chances of returning home safely now through microchipping and if necessary, registering your cat online. First, microchip your cat. Usually for $25 to $40, a veterinarian painlessly injects a tiny electronic chip with an identification number under your cat s skin. Anybody can then take your cat to a shelter or vet clinic, which will scan the injection area to activate the chip, read the identification number, and enter it in the microchip registration database to find your contact information. For your convenience and the general safety of cats, NATCAT microchips all cats with the AVID Microchip prior to adoption. Encapsulated with biocompatible material, it s tiny enough to fit in a hypodermic needle and enables lifelong identification. The AVID Microchip not only contains a unique identification number, but it also verifies that the shelter or vet clinic is reading the number properly. EVENTS Keeping you informed of community events... Newport Beach Events Monthly, first and third Saturdays Anesthesia-free teeth cleaning for cats at Pet Supply, Huntington Beach (800) 600-7387 August 23, 2009, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pet Fair in the Park at the Park Bench Café, Huntington Beach (714) 842-0775 May TBD, 2010, 1 to 4:30 p.m. National Cat Protection Society Open House and Fundraiser at the Newport Beach shelter RSVP (949) 650-1232 Spring Valley Events August 8, 2009, 8 to 11:30 a.m. Pet First Aid at the American Red Cross, Headquarters (877) 454-7229 Congratulations to Agnes Mock! For her compassionate donation to NATCAT during Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month, Agnes won an overnight stay at the DoubleTree Hotel. October 24, 2009, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. People Pet Walk (at and benefiting Helen Woodward Animal Center) (858) 756-4117 In the event your cat goes missing, register him or her with FindToto, an emergency phone alert system for missing pets. While you re busy creating posters, calling shelters, and placing ads online, FindToto helps you find your cat by instantly asking up to 10,000 neighbors to keep their eye out. Visit http://www.findtoto.com, enter your zip code, and select the Alert Package with the number of neighbors you want FindToto to call. Next, provide your lost cat s name, color, breed, and photo along with your contact information. FindToto will then call your neighbors up to four times within the hour and provide your cat s description, your phone number, and the FindToto web address. If your neighbors find a cat matching the description, they can visit the website to view your cat s photo for confirmation before they contact you. June TBD, 2010, 1 to 4:30 p.m. National Cat Protection Society Open House and Fundraiser at the Spring Valley shelter RSVP (619) 469-8771 For updated event information, don t forget to check out the next issue! If you d like to receive the latest news and announcements from NATCAT, please send your e-mail address to natcatnewport@gmail.com. NATIONAL CAT PROTECTION SOCIETY, INC. www.natcat.org Founder: The Late C. Richard Calore President: Denise Johnston Vice President & PR Director: Gerri Calore Financial VP & Legal Counsel: Richard Tanzer Editorial Advisor: Nanci Burris Editor-in-Chief: Alexis Ravey Art Director: Steve Kinkaid FELINE DEFENDERS 2 3 FELINE DEFENDERS
NEWPORT BEACH AMERICA S FAMILY PET EXPO FEATURED FRIENDS, WAFFLES & PUMA After discovering Waffles and Puma in an apartment complex, a kind gentleman had Puma spayed, Waffles neutered, and both vaccinated in hopes of finding them a home. He had no luck on his own for six months, so he decided to bring the sweet, loving, and extremely vocal pair to NATCAT. The darling duo adores attention and plenty of petting, but perhaps most of all, they adore each other and hope to find a home together. NATCAT was thrilled to participate in America s Family Pet Expo at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa once again last April. After Volunteer and Event Coordinator Julie Pearson set up our booth, feline fans of all ages visited to learn about our shelter, cats in general, and play games! Children particularly enjoyed Feed the Kitty, because they won candy every time they tossed a bean bag into the kitty s mouth. Visitors could also get a NATCAT t-shirt, bag, or sticker for a modest donation. Julie and volunteers Barbara Atwood, Barbara Cutler, Ellen Diamond, Ron Hlavnicka, Darren Kimble, Eric Lund, Kay Moedo, and Dora Schaieb did a wonderful job promoting NATCAT to the hundreds of people who stopped by our booth. Thanks, everyone! TAKE ACTION AGAINST CAT-EXPLOITING WEBSITES If you stumble across a website that promotes animal cruelty or exploitation, don t cringe or cry take (stealthy) action! Here s what you can do: 1. Avoid contacting the webmaster, because he or she likely thrives on negative attention 2. Contact the Internet Service Provider (ISP) that hosts the site, which can remove it if its content violates the User Agreement. To determine the ISP, visit http://www.dnsstuff.com and in the WHOIS Lookup box, enter the offensive site s web address. In the report that follows, refer to the Registrar or Sponsoring Registrar for the ISP 3. Contact your elected officials, not friends, family, and colleagues. If you send out an e-mail or create an online petition, you ll only increase traffic to the site Based on information from: What You Can Do about Websites that Promote Animal Cruelty. (2009). HSUS. CAT CLUE Noted cat-book author Desmond Morris suggests that cat talk can be summed up with six messages: I am angry, frightened, inoffensive, in pain, want attention, or come with me. For more on understanding cat talk, check out page 8. FELINE DEFENDERS 4 5 FELINE DEFENDERS
SPRING VALLEY FEATURED FRIEND, MISS DANGLE After finding Miss Dangle with a severely broken left-hind leg, a kind woman brought her to NATCAT hoping we could help. We promptly sent the amazingly sweet, small tabby named after her dangling leg to our veterinarian to not only spay her but fix her leg as well. Miss Dangle left the vet s office with a huge cast, but it didn t faze her! She gladly played with catnipfilled mice and any other toy we put in her area. When the cast came off, we were thrilled to learn that the operation was a success. Visitors can now find Miss Dangle in the office, anywhere from romping on the floor to climbing on the high shelves, waiting for a loving, preferably dog-free family to take her home. THE RAINBOW BRIDGE Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, Continued on page 7 THE RAINBOW BRIDGE (continued) CAT TIP VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT, TRENT SLATTON A realtor and EcoBroker real estate professionals certified in finding energyefficient, sustainable, and healthy properties, Trent Slatton doesn t stop supporting his community in the off-hours. In 2007, he started volunteering for NATCAT to help our shelter cats and kittens find good, loving homes. Although he adores all animals, he has a special place in his heart for kitties. I wanted to repay the love and enjoyment that cats have given my wife and me over our lifetime, he says. Trent particularly enjoys it when the shelter cats jump onto his lap. But the most fulfilling part for him is knowing that he s helping previously unadoptable cats adapt to human contact and in turn, find the happy, healthy homes they deserve. you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together, never to be separated again. Keep your cat away from insect repellents containing DEET. The ingredient could harm his neurological system. For more on summer safety, check out page 10. FELINE DEFENDERS 6 7 FELINE DEFENDERS
FELINE FIELD Helping you get to know more about your cat... Cat Talk Ever wonder what your cat is saying? The meow. Cats meow to communicate with humans, not other cats. At a very early age, they learn that it often gets them what they want, from food to the ability to exit a room. The second-most common sound, cats meow by opening and gradually closing the mouth, making it a vowel pattern with chirping, chattering, and anger wailing. The chirp. Cats chirp when they see prey. It stems from kittenhood, when the mother cat chirps to say dinner is ready. Kittens then quickly adopt the noise, chirping when excited at the thought of eating birds, squirrels, or other prey. When cats tune up the sound out of frustration from not being able to reach the prey, it s called chatter. The anger wail. Kitties anger wail when in distress. Kittens generally utter this sound when trapped, and cats make it when notably upset. The purr. We all know cats purr when they re content, but did you know they also purr when they re in pain or near death? While purring is the most common sound, even experts don t quite understand all of the reasons cats do it. However, they do understand how: A cat s vocal cords separate from the pressure of his glottis opening and closing. The hiss. Generally out of surprise, fear, or aggression, cats hiss by tensely holding their mouth open, making it a strained intensity pattern with snarling and growling. The snarl and growl. Snarling results from competition with other cats, particularly male cats for female attention or territory. When cats let out a low-pitched growl, they re warning other cats or humans that they need to back off or there will be consequences. Based on information from: Schultz, Jacque Lynn, C.P.D.T. Cat Vocalizations. (2009). ASPCA. Fearful Cats. (2002). HSUS. Helgren, J. Anne. (1999). Communicating with Your Cat. New York: Barron s, 58. Knowing increasingly more about felines can help you understand your own cat s behavior and desires. Visit Feline Field in Feline Defenders every issue to obtain such knowledge, which can only nurture a happier and healthier relationship with your faithful friend. NATCAT NEEDS YOUR HELP! Each year, NatCat finds loving, responsible homes for hundreds of unwanted cats and kittens. Donations and memberships help us provide them with food, shelter, and medical care while awaiting adoption. Please help us continue to provide this vital service. Join NatCat by becoming a member! o $10 YEARLY o $250 SUPPORTING MEMBER o $1000 LIFE MEMBER o $ OTHER DONATION Payment Method: o Credit Card: o American Express o MasterCard o Check o Discover o Visa Number: Expiration: Signature (required): o PayPal (to natcatnewport@gmail.com) NAME STREET CITY STATE ZIP E-MAIL NatCat - PO BOX 6218 - Long Beach, CA 90806 FELINE DEFENDERS 8 9 FELINE DEFENDERS
CAT CABLE Supplying the latest news in cat care... Summer Safety To keep your cat safe this summer season, follow these simple rules: Don t leave out any alcoholic beverages Use sunscreen or insect repellent safe for animals. Unsafe products can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, and lethargy Keep matches and lighter fluid out of your cat s reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which can damage blood cells and kidneys and hinder breathing. Lighter fluid can irritate skin and the gastrointestinal and nervous systems Keep citronella candles, insect coils, and oil products out of your cat s grasp. If inhaled, all of these items can cause aspiration pneumonia. If ingested, they can irritate the stomach and depress the nervous system If your cat touches, inhales, or ingests any potentially toxic substance, immediately contact your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for assistance. Based on information from: Is Your Pet Safe in Your Own Backyard? (2005). ASPCA Guardians. Visit Cat Cable in Feline Defenders every issue to read the latest in cat care. If there s any specific information you d like to see in Feline Field or Cat Cable, please notify the Newport Beach shelter. Where There s A Will, There s A Way Protect the Ones You Love You can give the gift of life after you re gone by including The National Cat Protection Society in your will. Our humane education programs strive to teach population control and the responsible care of cats to school children so that there will be fewer unwanted cats in years to come. Your bequeathed donation can help make our dreams a reality by promoting humane cat care and adoption of the homeless cats in our shelter. Please write today for our free brochure: Planning for Your Charitable Donations c/o National Cat Protection Society 6904 W. Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92663 NAME STREET CITY STATE ZIP E-MAIL FELINE DEFENDERS 10 11 FELINE DEFENDERS
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